Below is a presentation I gave today to a group of Honors students at Victoria University's School of Architecture and Design. The presentation covers what I have learnt during my time doing my PhD and the mistakes I made, especially around the research process.
The primary message of the presentation is that research is by no means easy and when things get difficult you need to focus on MUPPET:
Motivate - Eureka moments only take you so far.
Undertake - Write something every (other) day.
Plan - Conciously identify your rainbow (objective), horse (process) and cart (interest).
Ponder - Understand how your actions relate to the research.
Exchange - Talk to everyone (relevant) about your research.
Test - Continually evaluate what you have done and where you are going.